In a keynote address to the Association of Industrial Relations Academics of Australia and New Zealand (AIRAANZ) Conference 2018 on Wednesday in Adelaide Sally McManus will outline how the growing power of big business has pressured workplace rules to the point of collapse.

The current system is failing to support and protect working people’s wages in the face of the power that has been amassed by employers.

The speech will outline how the industrial relations system has completely broken down and this is leading to a world of insecure work and low wage growth.

Quotes attributable to Sally McManus, ACTU Secretary:

“The system is broken for South Australian workers. Wages are flatlining, barely keeping pace with inflation. Basic rights and good, steady jobs are being taken away by employers who now have too much power. Profits keep going up, but wages are not

“Our workplace rules have been broken by the pressure that big business has applied to driving down wages, making jobs insecure and removing workers access to basic rights.

“Our workplace laws are also no longer fit for purpose. Work has changed but workers’ rights have not. We are now seeing the rise of contract or “gig economy” jobs where working people have no rights. Australia has a crisis of insecure work, the third highest in the OECD.

“South Australia and the nation need a pay rise, and we need to change the rules so we have balance in our system and workers can get their fair share.”

Worksite

Union Aid Abroad

Union Aid Abroad-APHEDA is the overseas aid and development agency of the ACTU. Our work aims to build self-reliance through support to educational and training projects for workers and their organisations in the developing world.